James....

[casil403]

I met James today outside of Earl's on 8th avenue. He was watching the Olympics from outside and listening to the broadcast. After hearing him clap when Canada won gold in the speed skating I went over and had a look. I asked what happened and he told me...he then asked if I had any change..he said "I'm not going to lie to you...I want it for a 6-pack of beer." I gave him a few bucks and started talking to him. He said he was originally from Kamloops and now calls the Calgary streets his home. " The sky is my roof and the ground is my floor." He said and he panhandles to get by. He told me once he got a ticket for loitering and he proceeded to stuff the ticket in his mouth and eat it right in front of the bylaw officer! I asked how he lost his leg and he told me he was hit by a train in Kamloops a while back....said it dragged him 300 feet. He said he missed his brother most of all..hadn't seen him in about 5 years that kinda hurt. He was a proud man with a great sense of humor, a fiery spirit and he made me laugh out loud a few times! When I took his photograph, he told me a story about seeing his image once in a gallery. "It was as tall as me and I was drunk and passed out and someone took my photo. I was embarrassed when I saw it" he stated.
He also stated that if my photo makes any money he wants 1/2 the royalties...I said "Deal!"

I'm sorry this is not sharper...I only took one shot because I was more interested in his stories than his photo. Unfortunately it's not as good as I hoped. I am keeping it because there is a sense of pride coming from him in this photo and after walking and talking with him for more than a half an hour....the pride you see is definitely not fake.